Chiefs Offense Vs Cardinals Defense Preview: Week 1 2022

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We are five days away from the first Sunday of NFL action for the 2022 regular season. Many intriguing games are slated for the opening weekend. One of which, is a non-conference matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Arizona Cardinals.

As mentioned heavily throughout the offseason, these two teams each suffered tremendously tough playoff exits in last year’s postseason. This led to Kansas City making sweeping changes to their roster. For instance, this was done in many spots, as the Chiefs overhauled the wide receiver position and the secondary. As for Arizona, the Cardinals had a major contract dispute that was eventually resolved with quarterback Kyler Murray. This team did not make as many roster changes. Though, the Cardinals are looking to accommodate more to Murray’s skill set. More on the Arizona offense will be discussed in tomorrow’s article.

Today, we will be looking into the matchup of the Chiefs offense and the Cardinals defense. What are the top position battles that could determine Sunday’s outcome? Let’s kick it off.

Smith-Schuster And Valdes-Scantling Vs Cardinals Cornerbacks

There are many different pass catchers that you could point to for the Chiefs. However, the two veteran newcomers are highly fascinating to watch for in Week 1. JuJu Smith-Schuster was exceptional in training camp. It appears that he is relishing in the opportunity to become the number one guy in an aggressive passing attack. On the other hand, Kansas City is betting highly on the determination of Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The former Packer is always playing with a heavy chip on his shoulder. More importantly, the Chiefs are giving MVS more freedom to run a full route tree, compared to the limited looks he saw in Green Bay.

Stylistically speaking, Smith-Schuster can catch opposing defensive backs off guard with his mix of size and quickness. He is an urgent route runner who takes sharp cuts. Whereas with Valdes-Scantling, his ability to stack defensive backs and eat up leverage gives the quarterback a beneficial boost. His long speed is quite impressive for his size. Finally, Valdes-Scantling has the length to adjust and make difficult catches in traffic.

In this matchup, it will be appealing to see how the Cardinals go about matching up their cornerbacks. Both JuJu and MVS could move around the offensive formation. Therefore, it would not be insane to think that we could see Byron Murphy matchup with either one in the slot. His tenacity at the catch point could be a great stabilizer against the skill sets of these Chiefs wide receivers. Elsewhere, Marco Wilson and Trayvon Mullen have the change of direction skills to offer adequate reps in man coverage. Will they be able to keep up with this new Kansas City duo?

Kelce Vs Baker

Overall, much of the Chiefs offense already ran through Travis Kelce. But with Tyreek Hill now gone, that could very well expand further for the tight end. The chemistry that Kelce and Patrick Mahomes have is nearly unmatched in the NFL. Simply put, the way in which Kelce can create extra separation at the top of his routes is followed by the crisp timing of Mahomes. The Chiefs quarterback and tight end also appear to have a knack on knowing where the open space is if a play needs to be extended.

As he has got older, Kelce has simply continued to look smooth as a route runner. He arguably gets in and out of breaks quicker than he did at the onset of his Kansas City career. Moreover, Kelce has seemed to get more comfortable at making catches in tight areas or in traffic as his career has grown. These points of emphasis will certainly come in handy against the likes of this Arizona Cardinals safety.

There are always players who are consistently churning out strong performances that do not get noticed as often by the casual fan. At the safety position, Budda Baker is one of those names who tends to be underappreciated. He may just be the perfect style of safety who can hope to counteract the likes of Kelce. For example, Baker shoots out of a cannon and covers ample amounts of ground immediately when firing downhill. He is also rather dangerous with his ability to lay a boom. A ball can easily be jarred free for an incomplete pass or a fumble. Lastly, Baker flashes superb instincts, jumping throwing lanes or keeping a seal on any vertical attempts. Can he limit Kelce from filling up the stat sheet on Sunday?

Chiefs Offensive Line Vs Cardinals Pass Rush

There may be no better interior offensive line trio than that of the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite playing just one season together, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith were a wrecking crew last season. Thuney already brings a smart blocking plan to the table with his experience. To boot, Humphrey and Smith were able to prove that they were no slouches when it came to being nasty blockers. They continuously displaced any defensive linemen that were in their path last year. That is a major item for Kansas City to possess upfront, given the exuberant play of Mahomes.

At offensive tackle, Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie each finished the 2021 campaign strong. Brown Jr. was able to improve his footwork and hand placement during the latter parts of last season. Wylie showed that he could be trusted against the toughest of opposing pass rushers, at the same time.

Arizona is easily worse on paper than Kansas City is in this specific trench battle. JJ Watt can still provide a sense of strength and slipperiness at the point of attack. But if he is unable to get to Mahomes quickly, it could be a long day for the Cardinals. Arizona may or may not have Markus Golden in the fold, due to injury concerns. Others like Zach Allen, Michael Dogbe, Leki Fotu and Rashard Lawrence add more of a physical presence than anything else. That could still work for Arizona on occasion. However, speed has generally given this Chiefs offensive line more fits.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.